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Senbazuru

In Japan there is a tradition known as “Senbazuru” (literally 1000 cranes) that states, anyone who folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a single wish by the gods. The cranes are usually strung together, and hung on the outer walls of a temple, where they slowly decay as they are exposed to the elements. It is believed that the sacrificed cranes will then carry the wish up to heaven, for the gods to receive.

I am an impatient American, so I decided to burn mine.

I folded the cranes over the course of a year, personally creasing each beak and wing myself! I did this because I wanted to know what it felt like to bring every crane into this world, and banish it into the next. When I first started this project I was hoping to create a huge fireball in the snow. “This will be so cool” I thought, “There’s no way I could screw this up!” But when the moment of destruction finally came, the little bastards refused to catch light – instead they just simmered quietly, laughing at me.